Improvised Recipe: Yogurt Biscuits with Dill

I try to be organized and prepared in the kitchen, but despite my best efforts, I can be a little scattered sometimes. When I hosted an Easter brunch this past weekend, I changed the menu several times during my preparations and ended up forgetting a few ingredients at the store. With my budget spent and time running out, I was determined not to make another trip.

Luckily, as I made do, I stumbled upon a great recipe that I can't wait to make again.

I had plans to make individual pots of savory monkey bread with dill and sea salt for my guests. At the store, I picked up some fresh dill and assured myself that of course there was butter at home. And the one egg the recipe required wouldn't be a problem since I was buying two dozen to dye and devil.

When I went to start the dough the next morning, I realized there wasn't a single stick of butter in the refrigerator. And that egg? I'd absentmindedly hard-boiled all two dozen the night before. Oops.

I thought about scrapping the bread making all together. One of my guests was bringing blueberry muffins after all, and there would be plenty of other food. But I really wanted some sort of savory bread, plus I had all that dill, so I dove into the cookbook collection to find a last-minute replacement recipe. As usual, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian didn't disappoint.

His biscuit recipe calls for either yogurt or buttermilk, all-purpose or cake flour and butter. I had some low-fat Greek yogurt, bread flour and Earth Balance spread, and since I was making do, I decided to give it a try.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In a food processor, add dry mixture and Earth Balance and pulse until combined. (You can also pinch the ingredients together with your fingers if you prefer.)

Gently stir in yogurt and dill with a spoon.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times. Press out the dough until it is about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a glass or biscuit/cookie cutter, and repeat until all the dough is shaped.

Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes at 450.